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I gave up for a week and now I'm regretting it :( can I fix?

Basically my LO is almost 7 weeks old and for lots of reasons I stopped all bfing/pumping almost a week ago. I'm having second thoughts and I want to know what it will take to get my milk back. I hate the idea of waking up in the MOTN to pump, but LO gets me up anyways, so if I need to, ok.

The problem is, LO was 10 days early and small & weak. She didnt gain weight...and we saw an LC every week for those 6 weeks. LO has a weak suck & doesn't transfer milk very well, so we did a bf-supp-pump cycle every 2.5hrs for those 6 weeks. I knew I had to go back to work this week & wouldnt be able to keep up the cycle (and i barely pump an oz) so last week I started to slip with the cycle and gave more & more formula. Then I had a much needed night out on Saturday after so many weeks sitting on the couch, and I didn't plan it but I didn't bf or pump for 15 hours

Now I'm feeling extremely guilty and I just wish I had my milk back. I'm barely pumping .25oz from one side in 20min and basically drops from the other side. can I fix this? I can pump 3 times at work (10, 12:30 & 3). I have a hands free Madela Freestyle and I'm willing to pump in my car. I work from home 3 days a week so I can pump a little extra those days. Putting baby to breast is pointless until i get my milk back, she just gets mad.

I was taking fenugreek & blessed thistle plus Mmtea. I could get Reglan but I really don't want to. I saw brewers yeast pills at walmart, should I get those to?

Re: I gave up for a week and now I'm regretting it :( can I

I'm so sorry you went through such a hard time, mama. When you're stuck in that unending nurse-pump-supplement loop, nursing can feel really unrewarding.

I think the best thing you can do, at this point, is to nurse the baby as much as possible and to pump as much as possible using the best pump possible. I don't think the Freestyle is the best pump for your needs- ideally, you'd go up to a hospital-grade pump. They generally give more stimulation and get more milk in less time. The pills, the herbs, even the drugs- they are all nice, and some moms find that they get a significant boost from them. But none of them will do half as much for you as time spent with a good pump.

Re: I gave up for a week and now I'm regretting it :( can I

I suggest -the book making more milk. www.kellymom.com has good articles on increasing production as well, but the book is really great-explains the various causes of low production and suggested galactagogues for the differnt situations.

- A better pump, at least for when you are home. Rental, hospital grade. Have you tried increasing output with breast compressions and hand expression?

Was a lactation aid (at the breast supplementer) ever suggested to you? A different pump? Any improvement in baby's ability to nurse over all those appts?

Not removing milk from the breasts for 15 hours at week 6 is not going to tank production. So you can stop feeling guilty about that. I suggest, Try to stop feeling guilty at all. You were under enormous pressure and made the choices that seemed best for all of you at the time. It's really ok! I suggest, since you want to try to breastfeed again, take those guilt feelings and turn them into some determination.

Do you feel you were well served by the lc(s) you saw? Were these IBCLCs? How long were the appts and what was done during them?

I agree with mommal. Even if baby will not nurse, it is very important to keep baby close to you, snuggled on your chest, skin to skin if you both like, as much as possible. You want baby to keep associating you and your breasts with comfort.

Re: I gave up for a week and now I'm regretting it :( can I

Originally Posted by @llli*lllmeg

I suggest -the book making more milk. www.kellymom.com has good articles on increasing production as well, but the book is really great-explains the various causes of low production and suggested galactagogues for the differnt situations.

- A better pump, at least for when you are home. Rental, hospital grade. Have you tried increasing output with breast compressions and hand expression?

Was a lactation aid (at the breast supplementer) ever suggested to you? A different pump? Any improvement in baby's ability to nurse over all those appts?

Not removing milk from the breasts for 15 hours at week 6 is not going to tank production. So you can stop feeling guilty about that. I suggest, Try to stop feeling guilty at all. You were under enormous pressure and made the choices that seemed best for all of you at the time. It's really ok! I suggest, since you want to try to breastfeed again, take those guilt feelings and turn them into some determination.

Do you feel you were well served by the lc(s) you saw? Were these IBCLCs? How long were the appts and what was done during them?

I agree with mommal. Even if baby will not nurse, it is very important to keep baby close to you, snuggled on your chest, skin to skin if you both like, as much as possible. You want baby to keep associating you and your breasts with comfort.

Thank you so much for the support and information. I started today...going to aim to pump 8 times a day with one a power pump...plus all my supplements and oatmeal etc.

The LC I visited weekly was a nurse, not the certified type. I stayed over an hour. We did at least 1 test a week of how much LO transferred and she never took even an ounce in 45min of bfing. Even her 2oz bottles can take an hour to feed. A slooooow suck. Can we exercise her suck? An sns was never recommended. A speech therapist friend of mine said LO does have a bit of a tongue tie, but I don't necessarily have to back to breastfeeding if it doesn't work. I at least want to give her the milk.

Re: I gave up for a week and now I'm regretting it :( can I

Perhaps an SNS (supplemental nursing system) could be of help? Formula or expressed milk is in a pouch, and a thin tube is taped to the breast at the nipple, so when bub sucks, they get the supplement, as well as helping to stimulate your supply.

Re: I gave up for a week and now I'm regretting it :( can I

Yes, there are suck training exercises. But you need to see someone who knows how to do what is needed for this baby. If there is tt harming breastfeeding, it probably should be treated wiht a frenotomy. There are ways to supplement at the breast as pp suggests, which has benefits for a couple of reasons. Sometimes nipple shields help...but it all depends on the specifics of the situation and you need someone with the proper training to be able to even begin to figure that out.

If your baby was never nursing well, that alone would cause low milk production, no matter how often you nursed. Your pump is not adequate to make up for that kind of a shortfall. It is not a pump with the ability to build production when there are breastfeeding issues, which is what you need. Was it ever suggested to you to try a different pump?

Is there any way you can see a Board Certified Lactation Consultant? One who is experienced, comes recommended, works with babies on latch and sucking issues, works with moms on low production issues? A single appt with the right IBCLC could be worth 20 with someone who does not have to right training or experience.

Is there any way you can rent a hosp grade pump as well....Also, remember that proper fit of the breast flange is important. You want it tight enough so there is a good vacuum created but your nipple (but not much of your areola) should move freely and easiy in/out the tunnel when pumping.

Even if you end up having to pay out of pocket for this help, we are talking a few hundred dollars. Much less than the cost of formula for a year.

Some places have free/low cost lactation services. Who have you talked to locally about breastfeeding support? LLL? Breastfeeding USA? a local Breastfeeding Coalition?

Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC wrote the book on infant sucking skills. Also a good book on the 'tools' that help when there are breastfeeding issues. Who ever you see should be familiar with her book (s.) You could buy the book yourself but it is not written for the layperson so I have no idea if that would be helpful or not.